Container-handling crane



March 3, 1970 P. F. SPAULDING ETA!- 3,498,473

V CONTAINER-HANDLING CRANE Filed Jan. 17, 1968 s Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG IINVEN PHILIP F. SPAULDTESI F REDERIC L. SALINGER i F, g g g ORNEYS March3, 1970 P. F. SPAULDING ET 3,498,473

CONTAINER-HANDLING CRANE Filed Jan. 1'7, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 PHILIP F.SPAULDING FREDERIC L. SALINGER INVENTOR.

ATTORNE YS;

March 3, 1970 P. fsAuLblNe EFAL CONTAINER-HANDLING CRANE Filed Jan. 17,1968 3 Sheets-Sheet FIG 7 PHILIP-F. 'PAULDING FREDERIC L. SALINGERINVENTOR.

ATTORN E Y;S

United States Patent US. Cl. 212-41 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREA material handling crane providing a spreader bar which is suspendedfrom the cranes jib in a manner permitting the bar to be adjustedrotatively in relation to the jib about a vertical axis.

This invention relates to cranes, particularly cranes in which the jibis mounted for slewing and lufifing movements and has suspended fromsaid jib a spreader bar or functionally similar apparatus adapting thecrane to the handling of containers.

For its principal object the invention aims to engineer into a crane ofthis nature a perfected means of hanging the spreader bar, and oneespecially which mounts the spreader bar for controlled rotation about avertical axis centered in relation to the width and length of the bar,thus permitting the bar to be located upon a container, attachedthereto, and moved with the container to a desired point of deposit withunusual ease and expedition and wtih greater precision than has hretofore been possible.

It is a further and particular object to provide a container-handlingcrane in which the same is made levelluffing, having its jib mountedfrom the foundation platform by means of parallel linkages so thatlittle headroom is needed in which to luff the jib between a lowcredstowing position and elevated operating positions.

These and yet additional objects and advantages of the invention willappear and be understood in the course of the following description andclaims, the invention consisting in the novel construction and in theadaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view illustrating a container-handlingcrane constructed to embody preferred teachings of the presentinvention, and incorporating therewith a showing of a container. It ishere noted that the lowered non-working position of the jib is shown byfull lines and the elevated working position by broken lines in orderthat a top plan view with the parts in a reach position may be projectedfrom FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is said top plan view, made fragmentary, and with parts shown inhorizontal section on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view drawn to anenlarged scale on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a detail transverse vertical sectional view to a yet largerscale on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged-scale detail longitudinal vertical sectional viewon line 55 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view detailing a pocketingaction which is provided between the cranes lifting frame and the boom;and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on line 77 of FIG. 6.

Referring to said drawings, the crane is shown as being of the gantrytype in which a bridge section denoted by the numeral 10 is carried bywheeled trucks "ice 11 tracking on rails 12. A carriage is mounted fortransverse movement upon the bridge and supports a counter- Weightedplatform 13. The platform admits to slewing movements and carriesoperating machinery and all controls necessary for the functioning ofthe craine, such controls being housed in a cab 14.

The jib for the crane is denoted by 15 and is mounted from the platformfor bodily lutfing movement by two matching sets of parallel-motionfront and rear links 16 and 17 having their root ends pivoted to theplatform, as at 20 and 21, and their free ends pivoted to the jib, as at22 and 23. The two sets are located one at one side and the other at theother side of the jib. The jib has a front-end overhang projecting wellout beyond the pivot connections for the front links 16.

Stanchions 24 are provided adjacent the rear end of the platform at eachside thereof, rising to a height elevated a substantial distance abovethe horizontal plane in which the root pivots 20 and 21 lie. A pluralityof sheaves 25 are journeled from the upper ends of the stanchions totake the running bights of topping and hoisting lines spooled uponpowered drums included in the platform-mounted machinery. Denoted by 26,the topping linesone for each of the two sides of the crane are trainedfrom a respective sheaves 25 over a respective sheave 27 located at therear extremity of the jib and are suitably dead-ended.

There are two hoisting lines, denoted by 30 and 31, at each of the twosides of the crane. By means of said two sets of hoisting lines and asystem of upper and lower sheaves 32 and 33, respectively, about whichthe lines are trained from a respective sheave 25 over a respective thejibs front-end overhang a lifting head 34. The lifting head has a frameof rectangular plan configuration defined by side and end beams 35 and36, and the lower sheaves in the sheave system are journal-mounted inthe four corners thereof for rotation about transverse horizontal axes.The upper sheaves in the sheave system are arranged in the same patternas the lower sheaves, and are carried by the jib.

Upstanding nose-pieces 37, angular in shape, are provided at each of thefour corners of the lifting head. At the upper limit of the heads lifttravel these nosepieces collectively find a mating fit within a pocketdefined by angular guards 38 which depend from the underside of the jib.Rollers 40 (FIGS. 6 and 7) guide the nosepieces into the pocket.

A spreader bar 41 is hung below the lifting head and is journaledtherefrom for rotation about a centered vertical axis while being heldagainst relative movement endwise to said axis. The spreader bar has agenerally planar frame including side and end beams 42 and 43,respectively. The crane is designed to handle either carrier frames 44,as ilustrated, or containers. For ease of description both of thesetypes of cargo carriers will be hereinafter referred to by the termcontainer. Plan profile considered, the shape of the spreader bar isrectangular, corresponding to the plan profile of the containers.

The mounting for the spreader bar includes a king-pin 45 and a ring gear46 which is rigidly secured to both the king-pin and to the frame of thespreader bar. The ring gear underlies a bed plate 47. Formed with acenterbored hub 48 in which the king-pin is journaled, the bed plate isintegrally secured to the frame of the lifting head and takes thrustthrough a roller bearing 50 from a plate 51 rigidly secured insurmounting relation upon the king-pin. A roller bearing 52 is providedbetween the bed plate and the ring gear. A reversing motor 53 powered byhydraulic fluid or other suitable medium controls the rotary movement ofthe spreader bar by passing drive to a pinion 54 meshing the teeth ofthe ring gear.

As with the spreader bars heretofore devised the bar of the presentinvention is equipped with means for vertically aligning the bar withrespect to the container and for releasably securing the bar to thecontainer. Bars 5, or flippers as they will be hereinafter termed,perform the former function, being located exteriorly of the frame alongthe sides and ends thereof. A parallel-motion linkage 56 supports thebars for bodily swing motion in a vertical plane between the inoperativeupper position shown by full lines in FIG. and the operating lowerposition shown by broken lines. A respective double-acting hydraulicjack 57 connects by a bell-crank 59 which includes one link of theparallel-linkage.

The equipment for releasably securing the spreader bar to the containeris shown as comprising a set of four hooks 58 occupying comer positionsspaced a moderate distance to the inside of the edge margins of thespreader bar and each formed as the depending lower arm of a respectivecrank 60 fulcrumed at 61 to the spreader bar. The hooks are activated bydouble-acting hydraulic jacks 62 into and out of catch-holes 63 formedin a crowning rim section 64 provided by the container.

The invention and the manner of operation is believed to be clear fromthe foregoing detailed description of the now-preferred illustratedembodiment. The spreader bar, admitting to a controlled rotary shiftrelative to the lifting head about a vertical axis located central tothe width and length of the spreader bar, gives to the crane unusualflexibility, containers being picked up more easily and expeditiouslyand deposited with greater precision than has been heretofore possible.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A crane for handling a container of generally rectangular planconfiguration, said crane comprising a slewing platform, a jib supportedfrom said platform, cable means secured to said jib for the raising andlowering thereof, pantograph linkage pivotally secured at one end tosaid platform at the other end to said jib whereby the jib is raised andlowered and moves inwardly and outwardly in a substantially horizontalposition, said jib ineluding spaced, parallel beam membersinterconnected at their opposite ends to form a rectangular boom, a pairof sheaves secured to each beam in equally spaced longitudinalrelationship, a plurality of cable drums positioned on said platform,cables mounted on the drums and extending about said sheaves, arectangular lifting head adjustably supported at its four corners bysaid cables, at spreader bar rotatably secured to said lifting head anddepending therefrom in a horizontal position, means between the liftinghead and spreader bar to rotate the spreader bar, power means remotelycontrolled to cause' said rotation and means on the spreader bar toreleasably engage a container.

2. A crane as in claim 1 including a vertical stanchion mounted on saidplatform and cables extending from drums on the platform over thestanchion and secured to said jib for raising and lowering the jib.

3. A crane according to claim 1 in which the powered means includes aring gear fixed to the spreader bar in concentric relation to the rotaryjournal and having its teeth meshed by a motor-driven pinion rotatingabout an axis localized in relation to the lifting frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,541,766 6/1925 Luce 212-92,900,089 8/1959 McIntyre 21259 2,920,917 1/1960 Sheehan 212-813,081,884 3/1963 Minty 21214 3,101,967 8/1963 Wyrough. 3,402,824 9/1968Zweifel 21217 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,283 11/1930 Netherlands.

587,372 4/1925 France. 1,098,906 1/1968 Great Britain.

153,107 10/1961 Russia.

HARVEY C. HORNSBY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

